18 Jan 09 You Say You Want to Go to College!!

Reader's Comments

1. MT | 04 Feb 2009 1:45 pm

   I believe that solving the crisis of figuring out how to give Muslims non-interest bearing student loans is going to resolve difficulties. It is a short term resolution and is also needed.

   I think, first we have to address the need for higher education and who and HOW one should go about pursuing higher education. Instead of just accepting everything about a western educational system, except the way you fund it, we should question the entire process, and atleast manipulate it to our advantage. An example of this is the IANA, the Canadian based loan program. I just heard about it on your blog and am commenting from your blog. They give priority to widows, women and volunteers. From an Islamic perspective, and from a perspective of true common sense, if there is a general, broad based criteria set like this one, it should be we give loans to men first. They should in their policies recognize that we need to hold men accountable for earning money in our societies. It will help the society more - the reason our widows, women and volunteer activists have to spend their whole lives earning money is because the men are just not doing it anymore and need to be encouraged to. Not that they should deny anyone else, but they should give priority to it. This is what I mean about thinking OUTSIDE of this politically correct, western values box that we are stuck in.

   Another example - why college? Many, many people end up going to college to waste their money and four (usually 5) years of time to go work as a real estate agent or lab technician. And many of us waste much time and money deciding on what we want to do in college. From a Muslim perpsective, we should push our children to make a decision about their education when they are very young, and we have a 50% say in that decision if we are the parents. Our children should be raised feeling that they need to make a mature decision by the time they begin, lets say HS. Once the family plans the path of education - there can be much research done to avoid unnecessary expenses such as sending them to the wrong college, wasting one year figuring out what the child wants to do, or wasting years in college when you know your child has a very low potential at even being successful in certain majors/careers.
   This is actually the opposite of what we are taught in western systems. All we are told is “go to college, go to college, the light is in college, you will be a loser if you don’t go to college, if you don’t go to college you will grow a horn on your forehead, spend millions on college, go out of state for college for the real experience, decide what you want to do WITH college IN college…etc, etc etc”

   We need to become our childrens’ guidance counselors. The TRUE fact is, as a parents, if you truly want your child to avoid unnecessary spending and wastage of time and keep them away from dangerous influences, you need to take a very proactive role. And why would think otherwise? If you care about your deen, you will obviously have a sense of anxiety and caution sending your child into an education system funded and run by Kafirs. And if you send them to private Islamic school, you better believe it will be an atleast 80% replication of that Kafir educational system.

   Another important point - college is not for everyone. Many parents send their children to college, and after for years, what returns is still a child. We need to understand that not every man is made for college and not every woman is made for college and not ever life skill you will need is going to be given to your child in college. College is a BUSINESS - a BIG one so you need to understand that there are marketing companies’ whose job it is to brainwash you into thinking their college is the best and you should pay 20,000 a semester for it.

   Also - another important part in the planning - the excuse that we need education in this society to survive, that is why I am taking the student loans out necessary for my child because in Islam it is importnat to participate in the society and be educated in the society - how else are we doing to know Riba is haraam? — this excuse needs to be checked. Do you really believe in this? When 18 years before you send your child to college, you and your wife and decorating your house with new sofas every 5 years, buying brand new cars because your social circle also has brand new cars, wasting 5 dollars a box on cereal that will give your child no nutritional value, wasting 60 bucks a month on cable (if you save 60 bucks a month since your child is born until they are 18, you will have 13,000 in the bank), buying carpet for your house when you really don’t need it, and buying yourself jewleries and expensive clothes - and then all of a sudden its time for college and all it takes is one conversation from your coworker or friend “Hey man, Allah would not want you to avoid sending your child to school because of some loan and Riba - education is the most importnat thing in life ” - just remember that there are many other ways to education yourself and earn a living.

   How do you get a halal interest free loan?? By giving it to yourself. And if you can’t, borrow from your relatives, and if you can’t, sell your house, and if you can’t sell your car, and if you can’t sell your wife’s jewlery, and if you can’t, then figure something else out. I thought all this education was supposed to make us creative????

2. Ahmed | 05 Feb 2009 11:33 am

   MT: While you raise many important and valid points. I believe that your premise is faulty. Imposing rules and decisions without dialogue or forethought goes against the principal of freedom in our religion.

   - Men in Islam have been given the responsibility for ‘bread winning’ as you put it. And our community currently gives preference to them in educational opportunities while many women are denied basic educational rights. I think IANA’s choice seeks to fix that imbalance.

   - College may not be for everyone you are correct. However, offering everyone in our community the opportunity for the best education should be our goal.

   - Greater involvement by parents is necessary in any community. But to claim that all schools are kafir schools, even Islamic schools are 80% kafir is baseless. How did you reach this conclusion? I would hope you reconsider the usage of that word because it has a great deal of weight in our theology. And none of us have any legal weight to throw that word around.

   - Planning your finances to account for sending your child to school is certainly a necessity and your point is well made.

3. Bashar | 12 Feb 2009 9:25 pm

   I must second Ahmed’s comments on this issue. He brings up several important counterpoints to MT, especially when it comes to labeling people as “kafir” or not. I don’t believe anyone alive has the right to use that word these days.